I have severe panic attacks when I turned 49. I actually thought I was dieing. I was rushed by ambulance to the ER not only once, but four times within 6 months. They sent me to an array of specialist. My last attack I remember all so well. One of the nurses at the dr office pretty told me point blank; you are having panic attacks. I argued with her but, when all test came back that my heart was good, no sign of a stroke, no sign of anything except I thought I was losing my mind.

I was driving to a conference (4 hours away) and I remember the symptoms you are describing. I was driving and co-worker was on the passenger side. She still till this day does not know what I was experiencing in Atlanta, GA traffic! My head got hot, my head went completely numb with major tingling, I felt like I was in another place, another time, I am so lucky I was able to drive that car and I did not wreck.

Oh gosh the times I prayed myself to sleep afraid I would not wake up the next morning. I was a mess! But, the day that I accepted the fact that I was having panic attacks, they pretty much subsided after that. I was able to regain control of my life just for the mere fact that I knew I was not dieing, I was just having panic attacks.

This went on with me for two years. I was miserable!!!!!

Our hormones when out of sync will do major things to us girls. Hang in there! I feel ya!

I have severe panic attacks when I turned 49. I actually thought I was dieing. I was rushed by ambulance to the ER not only once, but four times within 6 months. They sent me to an array of specialist. My last attack I remember all so well. One of the nurses at the dr office pretty told me point blank; you are having panic attacks. I argued with her but, when all test came back that my heart was good, no sign of a stroke, no sign of anything except I thought I was losing my mind.

I was driving to a conference (4 hours away) and I remember the symptoms you are describing. I was driving and co-worker was on the passenger side. She still till this day does not know what I was experiencing in Atlanta, GA traffic! My head got hot, my head went completely numb with major tingling, I felt like I was in another place, another time, I am so lucky I was able to drive that car and I did not wreck.

Oh gosh the times I prayed myself to sleep afraid I would not wake up the next morning. I was a mess! But, the day that I accepted the fact that I was having panic attacks, they pretty much subsided after that. I was able to regain control of my life just for the mere fact that I knew I was not dieing, I was just having panic attacks.

This went on with me for two years. I was miserable!!!!!

Our hormones when out of sync will do major things to us girls. Hang in there! I feel ya!

wow can I relate to you... I have suffered for years with panic attacks.. I have a distinct relationship with hormones and anxiety. My head tingles and actually will go numb on one side... I do suffer from migraines during my most hormonal times so this may have something to do with it too... but it starts at the nape of my neck and it feels like pins and needles going in my head...I find that once I accepted that all of these were panic related I had much more success talking myself through them...

I agree. Once I knew I was not on my death bed, because honestly, some days I really thought I was dieing. You could see my heart beating through my shirt and I was wheeled off to the ER because I had signs of a heart attack/stroke. It was terrible.

I have always been a very strong person. I went through a bad first marriage and the ordeals I had to overcome took a lot of head strong determination. That is why when I kept hearing I was having panic attacks I shrugged it off because I was however; that strong woman who could not possibly have panic attacks. I was not the panicking kind, I was Wonder Woman!

But, alas, when your hormones get stirred up and jumbled up, Lord what can happen can be so out of the norm. Once I learned I could take control of my life again (a mind game), I was able to pick myself up and move on. It wasn't immediate. You just can't go from falling apart to a normal life again. It took me a full year to really regain control again.

I will say that eating clean will help. Work out, talk to God, learn to relax, help someone else in some way. All these things will help you pull yourself up and out of that pit that we can fall into.

my story is very similar... stayed in a really bad marriage for my children while acting to the world that everything was fine. Then a nasty divorce...noone ever knew how I was struggeling... couple trips to the er...countless doc visits... finally meds and therapy turned me around. My therapist explained that when you bottle everything up the stress build and builds until it maifests itself in my case panic...

What I have learned are my triggers.

Lack of sleep, hormones, bright florescent lights (walmart usd to be a nightmare), hot flashes, drinking too much

What helps

During my panic attacks I slow down my actions. remind myself what is happening and why.. let the wave come over me... stay whereI am even though i want to run.. and breath as deeply as possible... I meditate... and excercise.. all of these things have helped

I am definatly more in tune to every little difference in my body... I think that must go along with the disorder.. google and web md are NOT your friend...lol... seriously, I think once you recognize it for what it is... Panic attack..nothing more.. it will get easier...

It also helps to talk to others who have gone through the same thing to realize you are not alone with this...

You will find what works for you...it will get better... I bet if you log your attacks you will find them to be closely related to your hormone cycles... that knowledge alone will put your mind at ease when they strike... just remind yourself its those damn hormones...

I agree. Once I knew I was not on my death bed, because honestly, some days I really thought I was dieing. You could see my heart beating through my shirt and I was wheeled off to the ER because I had signs of a heart attack/stroke. It was terrible.

I have always been a very strong person. I went through a bad first marriage and the ordeals I had to overcome took a lot of head strong determination. That is why when I kept hearing I was having panic attacks I shrugged it off because I was however; that strong woman who could not possibly have panic attacks. I was not the panicking kind, I was Wonder Woman!

But, alas, when your hormones get stirred up and jumbled up, Lord what can happen can be so out of the norm. Once I learned I could take control of my life again (a mind game), I was able to pick myself up and move on. It wasn't immediate. You just can't go from falling apart to a normal life again. It took me a full year to really regain control again.

I will say that eating clean will help. Work out, talk to God, learn to relax, help someone else in some way. All these things will help you pull yourself up and out of that pit that we can fall into.

my story is very similar... stayed in a really bad marriage for my children while acting to the world that everything was fine. Then a nasty divorce...noone ever knew how I was struggeling... couple trips to the er...countless doc visits... finally meds and therapy turned me around. My therapist explained that when you bottle everything up the stress build and builds until it maifests itself in my case panic...

What I have learned are my triggers.

Lack of sleep, hormones, bright florescent lights (walmart usd to be a nightmare), hot flashes, drinking too much

What helps

During my panic attacks I slow down my actions. remind myself what is happening and why.. let the wave come over me... stay whereI am even though i want to run.. and breath as deeply as possible... I meditate... and excercise.. all of these things have helped

I went through ALL of this! So strange how so many of our stories are so similar.

I went through a terrible time with anxiety 3 years ago. I also started having tinnitus, I feel both are related to perimenopause. I am ５４ now.

Grateful to have found this post. I have been having the tinglings and the heart rate fluctuations along with fever-like hot spots sometimes all over and sometimes just in one spot for a few months now. A few weeks ago it was all along my left side with a hot spot on my back and I was so scared I went to the ER, had an EKG, did the troponin test to look for heart attack and sat quietly watching my b.p. lower.

Have more or less given up on the few glasses of wine I had been having each week, given up dark chocolate, stopped drinking so much coffee, still with the pins and needles all of the time! And grouchy - grrr!

One thing I have not done yet is increase workout time to see if sweating more will make all of the change happen faster. Or at least I will have more endorphins to battle the cortisol.??

This may be why some older women take up kickboxing.

I went through panic attacks more in my 30's.
Exercise has helped greatly.
I also recommend the book "Telling Yourself The Truth" by Backus & Chapian.
My pastor recommended the book to me and it really helped me sort things out.
Panic attacks really are all in your head, and I don't mean that in a belittling way.
It's what we are thinking and believing that triggers the attacks.
The authors recommend facing your fear, whatever it may be, head on and proving to yourself that "what if" didn't happen.
This takes the power out of the fear and then diminishes the anxiety, so no panic attack.
I'm living proof that it works

I also don't drive in Chicago traffic

For the most part, I would agree with you, but when I went into perimenopause, I was getting panic attacks out of the blue...totally out of the blue. What worked for me was low-dose birth control pills. I realize that this option is not for everyone, but I have very low risk factors for cancer, and that option balanced me out.

An earlier poster recommended going to an endocrinologist, and I would recommend that as well. Have them check your TSH and PTH (parathyroid) levels, especially if your labs are indicating high calcium and low Vitamin D levels.